By Dennis Schröder and elite NBA and EuroLeague talent can shine on Olympic stage
While not traditionally seen as a basketball powerhouse, there have been several players with German heritage who have achieved considerable success at the highest level of basketball. Most notable among them are Detlef Schrempf (a three-time NBA All-Star and two-time Sixth Man of the Year) and Dirk Nowitzki (2011 NBA champion & Finals MVP, 2007 NBA MVP, 14-time All-Star, and 2002 FIBA World Cup bronze medallist).
While the current members of Germany’s squad have yet to match the individual success of Nowitzki and Schrempf, they have surpassed them on the international stage by virtue of their World Cup success. And, as a collective, the 2024 Olympic team will undoubtedly be the best German team ever assembled.
Captain Dennis Schröder, who was named the FIBA World Cup MVP at the tournament, will almost certainly return alongside Franz and Moritz Wagner of the Orlando Magic. Daniel Theis of the Los Angeles Clippers is an eight-year NBA veteran, while Maxi Kleber (Dallas Mavericks) and Isaiah Hartenstein (New York Knicks), both of whom were not part of the 2023 team, could be called upon for Paris.
